Ms. Tharpe is not well known, but those who do know her call her the Godmother of Rock & Roll. Born in 1915, she was a gospel performer of great sophistication and skill, but also had rather a way with a guitar.

This shawl is like Ms. Tharpe – classic in origin and inspiration, drawing on simple elements, but coming together in way that’s both elegant and bad-ass at the same time.

It’s based on the Pi shaping: starts at the center with nine stitches, with an increase round to double the stitch count every so often. The edging stitch pattern is flexible: work until you’ve run out of yarn, or the shawl is the size you want, or you just can’t take it anymore and want to wear the thing.

The project requires only basic lace knitting skills, and being worked in the round, there’s none of that pesky purling. The only tricky bit is the start: you begin with a small round, but that’s over quickly.

Wear Ms. Tharpe folded over your shoulders like a triangle, or fully open for more drama and coverage. The fabric is weighty enough, and the piece big enough that it stays very nicely in place.